Traumatic Brain Injuries: Filing a Claim

Traumatic Brain Injuries: How a Personal Injury Claim Can Help You

Head or brain trauma caused by an accident can lead to serious brain injuries. Through personal injury lawsuits, victims of traumatic brain injuries can seek compensation for their losses. However, determining this compensation is quite complicated. Here’s how a personal injury claim can protect and safeguard your rights, and ability to survive after a traumatic brain injury.

Traumatic Brain Injuries: An Overview

This is an extremely serious injury that often occurs in car accidents, truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, and other types of collisions. Unfortunately, depending on the factors in the accident, many victims believe that they are not injured after suffering this sort of injury. On the worst case scenario, the victim will not realize that he or she has suffered the injury until the case has been settled.

After a serious incident, it is possible to overlook a traumatic brain injury. Many signs and health conditions do not appear immediately. They may end up surfacing at a much later time. While broken bones may heal, a traumatic brain injury can have serious and irrevocable consequences. These consequences completely change a person’s life by permanently affecting his or her relationships; affecting his or her ability to work; damaging his or her mental capacity; and finally, affecting the victim’s quality of life.

Most head traumas are categorized in two groups: mild or severe cases. Both forms can have catastrophic results. For each of the forms of traumatic brain injuries, victims should consider seeking restitution.

Here are some of the most common indications that someone has sustained a traumatic brain injury.

Mild Traumatic Brain Injuries

Traumatic brain injuries are considered mild if the victim lost consciousness for less than or close to 30 minutes. While the majority of traumatic brain injuries could be considered mild, many victims experience symptoms for many months to come.

Many victims do not realize the seriousness of their injuries sustained after a head injury. Even mild head injuries cause substantial harm. The following are some of the most common symptoms of a mild traumatic brain injury. It is important to understand that a victim can have one and possibly all of these symptoms.

• Loss of consciousness that lasts for a several seconds and/or minutes
• Mild to severe headaches
• Issues with coordination
• Confusion
• Nausea or repetitive vomiting
• Seizures or convulsions
• Dizziness
• Inability to speak, slurred speech, or the inability to form complete sentences
• Blurred vision or dilation of one or both pupils
• Ringing or bleeding in the ears
• Fatigue
• A shift in sleep patterns
• Depression
• Mood or behavioral changes that could include violent outbursts
• Distress concerning concentration, memory, thinking, and/or attention span.

Many victims who suffer a mild form of a traumatic brain injury will ultimately regain a full quality of his or her life. Despite the severity of the impact, it is absolutely important for victims to seek medical attention. The earlier an injury is detected, the better the opportunity is for recovery. Further, not seeking immediate medical attention can be reason to deny a victim from seeking restitution. Although these symptoms are not typically permanent, seeking restitution can nonetheless help cover the medical costs and loss of pay due to the inability to work.

Moderate to Severe Traumatic Brain Injuries

Victims of moderate to severe traumatic brain injuries often lose consciousness for longer than an hour. Often, persons who sustain these injuries deal with long-term symptoms. While this is not the case for every victim, individuals who have suffered moderate to severe forms of traumatic injuries can nonetheless experience the following:

• A worsening headache
• Loss of coordination
• Inability to awaken from a deep sleep
• Recurrent vomiting and nausea
• Numbness or weakness in the extremities
• Seizures or convulsions
• Slurred speech
• Increased confusion, restlessness, or agitation

Seeking Restitution for Your Traumatic Brain Injury

Traumatic brain injuries victims suffer from a variety of symptoms and conditions. These injuries can leave a devastating impression on a person’s life. Since the resulting effects of a traumatic brain injury could be permanent, it is important to seek compensation. Seeking compensation can help an injured person not only seek recovery, but also alleviate the burden(s) caused by the injury. The following is a limited list of some of the most common benefits that could result from seeking compensation after sustaining a traumatic brain injury:

Alleviate the cost of medical expenses.

All of the acquired medical expenses can be compensable. Medical expenses stemming from a head injury can be expensive and permanent, if there is a need for ongoing therapeutic treatments.

Cover the costs of continual care.

Continual care can refer to the costs of all of the medical instruments that may need to be purchased for a victim’s care. This can include a specialized bed or even eyeglasses needed due to the loss of vision.

Recover after a loss of income.

Although not all injuries are permanent, if a victim has taken any time off of work to seek medical attention or otherwise recover, the victim has a right to recover any lost income. On the contrary, some injuries could have devastating consequences in which there is an inability to either return to work or there is a loss of job opportunity. Both scenarios involve a victim’s right to compensation.

Seek restitution for the pain and suffering endured.

Seeking restitution for pain does not only indicate physical pain, it also implicates any emotional pain endured after the accident. Victims have a right to seek restitution for the emotional distress, disability sustained, loss of quality of life, and all other damages received.

Obtain Legal Support

If you or someone you know has suffered a traumatic brain injury, know that you have a right to seek compensation for your losses. The effects of a brain injury can have catastrophic results. Obtain the legal support of an experienced brain injury attorney who will champion for your rights and help you seek restitution.